Show us your Vitex; chaste trees

Here is mine....

Are you sure that's a Vitex? I know there are pink ones, but it just doesn't look right to me. I think it may be Clethra 'Ruby Spice' instead http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/121616/
Here's a pic of the pink Vitex for comparison http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/newsletters/hortupdate/jun01/Pvitexgif.gif

Hold on, I was pretty sure it's Vitex....pepper trees? Ecrane, you could be right.

Indeed! It's Clethra!!! Thanks Ecrance. Sorry my mistake, and for all these time, I thought I had a Vitex.

Clethra is really pretty too! But now I guess you'll have to go out and buy yourself a Vitex, they're very beatiful plants and everyone ought to have one!

LOL, I've a different variety austraulis (?), replanted the shrub on shady area, unsure it it will bloom this year? Out in full sun, its blue/purplish leaves wilt ever slightly wilt in the heat.

Is this your one with purplish leaves? http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/133002/ It's the only one I know of that has purplish leaves but I don't think it's hardy in your zone so I'm not sure if that's it or not. I have one of these, and I've had a tough time getting it established but I think it's finally there and is starting to look healthier. I planted one last fall, then it didn't make it through our cold snap (a couple weeks with nightime lows in the low 20's F) so I bought a new one and planted it first thing in the spring, it suffered a lot for a long time, lost a lot of leaves, etc but now it's finally starting to look good. Took a lot longer than anything else I planted at the same time though! Mine's in full sun, they can be in part shade too but if you have it in too much shade it may not bloom well for you.

That's the beauty. Yes, I kept it indoor last winter. But I read somewhere that's hardy here, so this early spring I planted in a shady area remembering how it didn't fair well last summer in a Pot. I'm hoping I won't have to relocate it. The root system is massive, let me tell you. I love it though. Beautiful shrub.

Most of the Vitex species would be hardy for you, but that one I don't think will be. It's hardier than zone 10 which is how PF lists it, but I think zone 9 is the coldest it will go, everything I've run across about it on the internet says zone 9. Mine was completely fried by the temps in the 20's, granted it wasn't well established yet but I can't imagine it would survive zone 7 winters.

We have many Vitex in our city - they are commonly called Chaste Lilacs here. When the plants are very young, people often confuse them with Butterfly bushes (Buddleia) because of their elongated purple plumes. They are indeed hardy in our area, and our city horticulturalist uses them extensively. They are virtually maintenance free, little affected by disease or insects, and will take full sun in the afternoon (only crape myrtle can do that here). We always have Vitex on our Arbor day "free trees" list. They do need a bit of space, because they usually look like a very large shrub, left unattended. One way people are taught to identify them is by stating that their leaves look a great deal like a common recreational drug. Probably more than you wanted to know about Vitex.:)

Hello peony01; thank you for your contribution. LOL, the disected leaves of most vitex resembling the "recreational drug" lol, I remember one of my neighbor was looking at my Tomato when I lived in the City and though I was planting ilicit contraban lol. This blue/purple vitex in particular the leave is a distinctively different than most. I'll find out the hard way if this one isn't hardy in my zone. (Just kidding, I probably will be out there in the middle of winter with a shovel at hand ready to dig it up, if it ever shows any sign of stress).

The Vitex that most people are familiar with and that's most commonly grown is Vitex agnus-castus, this is the one that is sometimes confused with Buddleia. It's hardy to I think zone 6 and I'm sure it's the one that you're seeing near you peony01 . The one that Lily's talking about is a different species, Vitex trifolia, the leaves look different and it is much less hardy than V. agnus-castus. Everything I've read suggests zone 9, but who knows, plants can surprise you sometimes!

I've been known to be lucky with some, so I'll report back as the weather progresses.
Thank ecrane3, for setting the record straight (once again).

Ecrane, You are correct. I've not seen the other Vitex that you have been discussing. It definitely is Vitex agnus-castus in our area. Dirr calls it a Chaste Lilac Tree - we just refer to them as Chaste Lilacs. They are also easily propagated here, by seed or by late season hardwood cuttings. They can really fill a space with color.

Happy July 4th everyone!!!

Mine bloomed heavily this year, but that was several weeks ago and I didn't get a picture. I think mine is finally adapting to being a tree rather than a shrub, the sprouts at the base are much less intense this year.

Hello there, escambia. Nice to see you posting again. Since we're talking about different ones here (my mistaken identity with Clethra), are you referring to the Vitex agnus-castus, or ....?

Yes, I have the Vitex agnus-castus. I always call them Chaste Trees, but I have heard them called "Monk's pepper".

Here's a link to a thread I started last year : http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/603210/

escambiaguy; visited the thread. Your tree is very nice. I'm thinking of replacing my Buttefly bush for one of this trees (when, and if our drought is lifted). For my blue hue flowering ornamental. The buhdelia looks ok, only it's too wild looking on the front of the border. And they requires extensive dead heading. I've a cultivar that doesn't spread, but grow straight up, I'm getting to prune it back down, and see if I can tame the fast growing thing.

Mine has grown alot since those pictures were taken. I don't think I would want them near my door, or anywhere I have to walk frequently. They do attract plenty of bees.

That is of course, the unofficial alternative version they kept quiet about!

Too funny a tall tale, lol, lol.

I also rememeber reading somewhere that women used to use the seeds to relieve certain female ailments.

Hummmmmm,

Thus "chaste tree"

Got it!!!!! Duh, for the life of me I couldn't have figured it out on my own. LOL, LOL. Mike. Escambia, and Resin. I can see you guys/gals sit around the campfires and telling stories. I'll bring mash mallows, you provide moonshines, we'll get together for a picnic. LOL.